Summer BreakThe Story of Tails
by dandygandy2704
Summary: It's summer break! Tails is working on an alternate power source as a summer project. Cream seems to want to be with Tails a lot this summer. But he doesn't seem too interested. Will his invention be the downfall of their relationship?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful June morning. School had let out the previous day, so Tails was pretty happy. He woke up late. He went out to his workshop to work on a new power source.

"Maybe," he thought, "I can get this new power source to work so that our environment will be protected."

He had his brand-new stereo blasting the hardest rock imaginable, so that when Sonic knocked on the door, Tails didn't hear him.

"Tails, open up! Tails!" No answer. "Tails!" Sonic started beating on the door. "Open up, Tails! I'll knock this door down if you don't open up!" This was an empty threat, because Sonic was too good-natured to do anything like that, but he figured Tails didn't know that. He decided to test the knob. It was unlocked. "He must be home!" Sonic opened the door, and was thrown almost 15 feet into the air! "Tails! Turn that music down!"

"Huh?" Tails hadn't heard any of Sonic rants of a few seconds ago. He clicked off the stereo. "What's up, Sonic? Why are you all the way over there?"

"I was blasted over here by your super loud music!"

"Oh, sorry! So, what's up?"

Tails was really rather pre-occupied. He had this amazing talent for tinkering and thinking about totally irrelevant things and still keep things straight. Today he had been thinking about Cream. He had talked to her yesterday after school and it seemed like she wanted to get together with him sometime over the summer.

"I came to ask you the same thing. Yesterday after school you seemed kind of distracted-if that's the right word."

"Oh," was all Tails could say. Did he really seem distracted? Did he dis his best friend? He hoped not.

"So, what's up? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he wondered if lying would work, "I was thinking about my newest experiment. Want to see it?"

"Sure, buddy. Why not?"

"Okay, it's right in here."

A few hours later, Sonic left. Promising to come back as often as possible.

"Great," said Tails. He meant it in a sarcastic, negative way, but Sonic thought Tails was really happy. With a grin he sped off. Tails forgot where he was in his experiment, so he went into his house.

He got onto the computer to log onto his Instant Messenger program. He noticed that Knuckles and Shadow were on. He decided to IM Knuckles.

2-tailed Kitsune: Hey, Knux!

Pimpin' Echidna: 'Sup, Holmes?

2-tailed Kitsune: Not much, man. 'Sup with you?

Pimpin' Echidna: Listening to music, working out. Stuff like that.

2-tailed Kitsune: That's cool. Sonic stopped by earlier. Have you seen him since yesterday?

Pimpin' Echidna: Nope. He called me this morning but that's about it.

2-tailed Kitsune: Oh…OK.

Pimpin' Echidna: So, whatcha been up to? Still making that energy source?

2-tailed Kitsune: I would be working on it right now, but Sonic stopped by and I forgot where I was. I'll remember by tomorrow.

Pimpin' Echidna: So will that be able to work on…oh say…a '67 Caddy?

2-tailed Kitsune: Most likely

Pimpin' Echidna: Rockin'

2-tailed Kitsune: But you're a rapper…O.o

Pimpin' Echidna: Ya I know.

2-tailed Kitsune: O.o

Pimpin' Echidna: Well, w/e. Rouge is at the door. Talk to you l8r homie!

Pimpin' Echidna has signed out.

"Well, that passed some time," thought Tails to himself.

Just then Cream logged on…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Chao4Life: Hey Tails! What's up with you?

2-tailed Kitsune: Hey Cream. Not much. What's up with you?

Chao4Life: That's nice. Not much going on here. How's your experiment going?

2-tailed Kitsune: It's going pretty good. The only problem is Sonic stopped by earlier this morning and now I can't remember what I last did.

Chao4Life: Wow. That's too bad. Maybe I could come over and help you?

2-tailed Kitsune: Well... I dunno...

Chao4Life: Oh, please, Tails?

2-tailed Kitsune: sigh Oh alright. How soon can you be here?

Chao4Life: As soon as the train gets to the Mystic Ruins.

2-tailed Kitsune: You'd better hurry! Train leaves in about 20 minutes!

Chao4Life: gasp You're right! I got to go! See you soon! 3

Chao4Life has signed out

"What did I invite her over for?" Tails wondered to himself. "And what was up with that heart at the end of her last message?"

1 hour later…

"Hey, Tails!" It was Cream.

"Hey, Cream! What took you so long?"

"There was a delay. I almost lost my seat on the train!"

"Wow! That's pretty bad!"

"Yeah. But it's okay. I still got to come and see you,"

she winked. Tails felt uneasy.

"S-so let's go check out the experiment!"

"Yes! Let's!"

Tails led Cream into his garage, embarrassed that he had left it so unclean.

"Sorry about the mess. It was kind of short notice."

"Oh, that's all right. You should see my room! It was messier than this," she laughed, "Hey! Nice stereo! Can I turn it on?"

"Um.. I'm not so sure that's a good idea," said Tails.

"Why not?" Cream asked him.

"It's really, really loud." He replied, embarrassed.

"Oh, that's ok! Do you know the kind of music I listen to?"

"Actually…no, I don't."

"It's very loud and very, very hard."

"That's just like the music I listen too!" said Tails

"Then let's turn it on!" persisted Cream

"All right. Go ahead and turn it on." Said Tails.

He was surprised when Cream turned it up even louder than he had it. She claimed she loved the song, even though it was so loud you could barely hear anything above the steady rhythm of the bass and drums. Tails realized that they might have more in common than he thought.

"Who's your favorite band, Cream?" Tails asked.

"Have you ever heard of 'The Emeralds'?" Asked Cream

"Yeah, I have. You like them?" Answered Tails

"Yeah I do, they are my favorite band ever!" Cream explained.

"Mine too, actually!" Tails exclaimed in spite of himself.

"Cool! Do you have their new album?"

"Which one?"

"'I got you on the brain'"

"Oh, no I don't have that one yet. I'll most likely get it soon. Today or tomorrow."

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, do you have the money for it right now?"

"Yeah I do have the money but I just can't find the time to get it." Said Tails, very much embarrassed.

"Well, you have time right now. Why don't we take the train down to Station Square and get it right now?"

"Well, I don't have much money other than the money for the CD and a special emergency fund so I can't really take the train. That's why I haven't gotten it yet." Said Tails. He could feel his face turning red.

"Well, I have some extra money. Enough for both of us to take the train."

"I couldn't ask you to pay for my train ticket, Cream, that would be wrong. I'll just wait until I have some extra money."

"But you wouldn't really be asking me. Besides I won't take 'No' for an answer! I'm offering to pay, and you didn't ask me, I said I would first. So there." Tails could see no way out of this.

"Oh alright, I'll go with you."

"Great! Let's hurry before the train leaves!"

To be Continued… 

Author's Note: I apologize for not posting Chapter 2 sooner. I kept forgetting! Please post all criticism in reviews! I would love to know how I can make this fanfic better!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Hurry up, Tails! The train is leaving!" Said Cream.

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

"Oh no! The train is pulling out of the station! Now what will we do?"

"We could take the Tornado…" Offered Tails, "If you wanted to…"

"That sounds like a great idea! Let's do that!"

"Okay then, we have to get back to my house." And with that, Tails turned around and headed back to his house.

He hoped that Cream would like the Tornado. Once his new power source was complete, it would run much smoother and he intended to tell Cream that. However, when they arrived at his house, she was simply amazed that Tails had built it all by himself.

"Tails, that's amazing!" She said, her eyes sparkling with awe.

"It's not that great." Said Tails sheepishly, "And it won't be until I finish my new power source that it will run the way it is supposed to…" He was really embarrassed. "Are you ready?"

"Hey isn't that a song?"

"Yeah it is!" They both laughed. "Ok then get in."

"Ok." Cream got in the back seat and Tails got in the front.

"So do you want to listen to some music? Right now I have a mix CD in."

"Sure. What's on it?"

"Bands like Kutless, Bon Jovi, Creed, Fusebox, Skillet…"

"Never heard of them…"Said Cream. This surprised Tails. He always thought Cream was some kind of music expert. But she didn't even know who these bands were!

"They're imports." Said Tails hastily.

"Oh, I see… So why don't we play a little game while we are flying to Station Square?" Asked Cream obviously trying to spark a conversation.

"Ok, sure. What's the game?" Asked Tails.

He was willing to do anything to break the awkward silence he was sure would ensue.

"It works like this: I ask you one question about me and then you ask me one about yourself. It's kind of like a quiz for each other to see how well we know each other. And if you get one wrong then I have to tell you the right answer and vice-versa. Get it?"

"I think so…" Said Tails. He was nervous. He knew he didn't know Cream that well "So who goes first?"

"I will. Okay then what color are my eyes? And no cheating."

"Um…green?"

"Nope. They're brown. Your turn to ask me a question."

"Ok um…what color are _my _eyes?"

"I wanna say blue…but I'm not positive."

"No, you're right, they're blue. Oh look! There's Station Square! Can you see the music store? I don't see it…" Said Tails, who was actually rather happy that they made it to Station Square so quickly. He felt like Cream really _was_ quizzing him, and he was probably right.

"Oh, it's not on the main street." Replied Cream. "You kind of have to search for it."

"Oh, ok I remember now. I haven't been to Station Square in a long time. I usually buy my stuff online. I have one quick stop to make here before I go to the music store, but you go on and I'll catch up." Said Tails.

He was planning to surprise Cream by taking her to the movies, but to do that, he needed money. He, of course, had some in his bank account, but he had to get it first.

"Alright. Meet you there, Tails!' And with that, Cream set off to the music store, a big smile on her face.

"Hmm…"Thought Tails to himself. "Better get some extra money…just in case."

He actually knew his was around Station Square really well, but saying he didn't gave him some extra time to take care of business.

Once he made it to the bank, Tails took $100 out of his bank account. "That should be enough." He thought to himself. Then he sped off as fast as he could to the music store.

On the way there, he stopped and thought about buying a bouquet of flowers for Cream, but then thought better of it. For one thing, he didn't know her favorite kind of flowers, and for another thing, Tails didn't know if she was allergic to flowers or not. He decided to ask her at the music store. "Just in case" as Tails said. Then he went to the music store to meet Cream.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: 2 things today. 1) About the music…the bands Tails said were on his mix CD are bands that are on my music play list and I couldn't think of anything else. 2) I'm sorry it was so very late in coming, but that's because I had no access to a computer for a while, and for a while I just wasn't writing, but it's done now, next chapter will hopefully come sooner.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tails made it to the music store a few minutes after his "other stop". He saw Cream standing inside with a look on her face that seemed to say "I have no idea what I'm going to do." Tails went up to her and asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, Tails, you scared me! I was going to buy you one of these CD's as a surprise, but I couldn't figure out which would be better and now you're here, so it's kind of pointless either way…" Said Cream, obviously very embarrassed by the whole thing.

"Oh, I'm sure I'd like whatever you decided to buy me…" Said Tails, catching himself a little to late to stop himself. "And if you're worried about the whole 'surprising me' thing, don't worry, I'm sure I can make it up to you."

"How?" Asked Cream, noticing that Tails seemed rather embarrassed. She guessed it was about what he had said to her earlier.

"It's a surprise." Said Tails with a twinkle in his eye.

"Whatever." Said Cream, trying to act like she didn't care, but she knew that Tails knew she wasn't, so she thought it was pointless. "So about these CD's, which would you like better? The hard rock music that will most likely make you go deaf, the kind of music that says you hate everything and are a rebel, the corporate pre-packaged pop that people used to listen to a few years ago, or rap?"

"Hmm…" Said Tails with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Tough call." Make that much sarcasm. "It's a toss-up between the deafening and the 'I hate everything' music…I'm going to say the hard rock that will make me go deaf. I'm not emo."

"Deafening hard rock it is! Now then, let's find us that 'Emeralds' CD!"

"Oh, most definitely! Hey, Cream, what kind of flowers do you like?" Asked Tails. He thought that he might be able to get some for Cream after he took her to a movie.

"Actually, I'm allergic to flowers." Said Cream. "Why?"

"Well, you've been so nice to me today that I thought I could get you some flowers, but it's ok, that wasn't my big surprise." Said Tails.

"Well…just what is this 'big surprise' anyway?"

"Can't tell you, it's a surprise." Said Tails with a smile. "Oh! There's that CD! Ok, I'll go pay for it and meet you outside, 'kay? Oh, one thing, what's for favorite music genre?"

"Same as yours, Tails! Duh!"

"Oh, right…well do you have a favorite band? Besides The Emeralds, of course."

"Not really…I have all the CD's I need. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Said Tails. "I'll just go pay for this CD now."

Once Cream left, Tails looked for something he could buy for Cream to surprise her, but he couldn't find anything, so he gave up. He was still going to take her to the movies, after all. Tails wondered if he and Cream had more in common then just music taste. "Maybe she likes video games!" he thought to himself. He decided to ask her later. He paid for the CD and left the store to surprise Cream. He thought that he had kept her waiting long enough. When Tails asked her if she was ready for her surprise, she said that she was.

"Hey, Cream, I was thinking about how little I really know you and probably vice-versa. So I was thinking that maybe we should…you know, get to know each other a bit better… What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea, and you're right, I really don't know that much about you either. But first you gotta tell me where we're going."

"Do you want to ruin the surprise? Or is it just happening that way?" Asked Tails jokingly.

"A little bit of both, I think." Said Cream, just as jokingly.

On the way to the theater, and Cream's surprise, Tails and Cream shared much about themselves, and they found out they had more in common than they thought. This also helped Tails in deciding what movie to see with Cream. And as it turned out, Cream liked video games almost as much as Tails, which was a lot.

"Hey, Tails." Said Cream suddenly. "What made you suddenly decide that you didn't know that much about me? Was it that game we played on the way here?"

"Sort of…" Said Tails. "And it just seems to me that we're going to be spending some time together this summer, so I figured that we might as well get to know each other now, instead of slowly finding stuff out, y'know?"

"Yeah, I see what you mean. And you're really now going to tell me where we're going?"

"I thought you knew your way around Station Square pretty well." Tails laughed. "Well enough to at least try to guess where we're going. Go ahead. Guess."

"Is that a challenge?" Said Cream.

"Yes, it is. Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to try to ascertain our destination before we reach it. What say you?"

"I accept!"

"So, Cream, where are we headed?"

"Umm…the beach?"

"Nope. Try again."

"What about that one amusement park place…I forgot the name of it."

"Wrong again, so sorry."

"The Chao Garden?"

"I think not."

"Well then, there's only one other place we could go."

"And that would be…?"

"The movie theater, of course!"

"That is correct!"

"Oh, Tails, you know you don't have to take me to the movies."

"Yeah, I know, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to…"

"Tails, you're the best! Just the best!"

"Not really…" Said Tails. He knew he was blushing. He was going to have to work on not doing that so much.

The rest of the walk to the theater was quite uneventful. Tails and Cream talked a bit more, mostly to try to decide on what movie they were going to see. They decided on an action movie with some comedic flare and a romantic side-story.

Once at the theater, Tails bought the movie tickets, some popcorn, and some candy. Then he and Cream went into the theater. There weren't many other people in the theater, so they could sit pretty much wherever they wanted. They decided to sit in the back, where they could see the movie really well, but weren't by to many people, so they could talk if they wanted to.

While they were sitting there waiting for the movie to start, some more people filed into the theater, including Sonic accompanied by none other than Amy Rose…and they were holding hands!

To Be Continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hey, Sonic!" Said Tails. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see a movie with Amy." Said Sonic. "Is that allowed?"

"Whoa, man, I never said anything like that." Said Tails defensively. "I just wanted to know what was going on. It's kind of weird seeing you and Amy together like this."

"Well, I finally got Sonic to go out with me!" Piped in Amy.

"How'd you manage that?" Asked Tails.

"That's none of your business!" Said Amy, sticking out her tongue at Tails. "Come on, Sonic! We gotta get seats!"

"I wonder what that was all about…" said Cream after Sonic and Amy went to find seats.

"I'm not sure, and I bet we won't ever know…" Said Tails.

"Well, we can ponder it during the movie, which is starting!" Said Cream excitedly. "I heard it's supposed to be really good!"

"I'd say we'll find out in about half an hour." Said Tails.

"What do you mean, Tails?" Asked Cream.

"We have to sit through the previews first." Replied Tails.

"Oh, yeah…" Said Cream.

"Don't worry. The one good thing about previews is that we can talk and no one really cares." Said Tails, obviously trying to cheer Cream up. She smiled at him.

3 hours later, Tails and Cream walked out of the movie theater hand-in-hand, discussing the movie. They walked thus to the Tornado. Feeling that he knew Cream a bit better, he challenged her to the game she had introduced him to on the fly there. He got most of the questions right, as did Cream.

On the ride home, Tails began to understand something. Not only did Cream like him more than just a friend, but he liked her, too. This was a large revelation to him. It came as a shock to him, yet it didn't. It was almost as if he had always known how he felt about her, he just never fully realized it…until now.

It almost seemed to him that, they were so much alike, it was no surprise that he felt that way towards her. Love was an entirely new experience for Tails.

"Hey, Cream, can I ask you something?" Said Tails tentatively.

"Anything, Tails." Cream replied.

"Well, it seems to me that… what I mean is that I…" His voice trailed off.

"Yes…?" Asked Cream. "What is it, Tails?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Tails blurted out suddenly, before his courage left him.

"What?" Asked Cream, who seemed surprised. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean that I like you, and, as far as I know (or think I know) you like me, too. I could be wrong, though. For all my book smarts and science smarts, I'm totally in the dark about this kind of stuff…"

"What kind of stuff…?"

"Stuff like…" Tails lost his voice again. "Stuff like love. I have no clue how this kind of stuff works…"

"Well, to answer you question, yes. I would love to be your girlfriend." Said Cream. "And as for not knowing about love and stuff, I don't know much, either. How about we find out together?"

"Wow…that worked out better than I expected. I always thought love was some big, complicated thing that you couldn't figure out no matter how hard you tried. The latter I still find true, but it seems pretty simple to me, now." For what seemed like the first time that day, Tails didn't seem embarrassed at all. He was pretty sure he wasn't blushing, either.

"I couldn't agree more!" Cream said heartily. "Wow…this whole day seems to have taken on a whole new meaning…"

"I know what you mean. You know, I was pretty stupid not to recognize how you felt about me, or how I felt about you, a lot sooner."

"What do you mean?" Asked Cream.

"Well, I never fully realized how I felt about you until today. And, now that I look back on the past, it seems pretty obvious how you felt about me…I was just an idiot not to notice it sooner."

"You're not an idiot!" Said Cream. "I didn't realize how I felt about you until today, either. I don't know why I acted the way I did in the past, maybe I liked you and I just didn't know it…"

"Ditto." Agreed Tails. Now that he looked back upon his own past actions, it seemed pretty obvious that he had liked Cream for a while.

Even when he went as far back in his memories as when they first met, he realized that he had liked her for a while. He was only 8 then, Cream was 6. Now he was 15, and Cream was 13.

Presently they arrived at Cream's house. Tails walked her to her front door. At the front door, Tails bade Cream goodbye. She quickly kissed him on the cheek before going inside.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: I think I'm starting to run out of ideas for this fanfic…I hope you review after you read. It may be a while before the next chapter. I'm going to need some time to think up new ideas.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tails flew home listening to the 'Emeralds' CD he bought earlier. He had told Cream he would burn a copy of it for her and get it to her tomorrow. Running over the day's events in his head, he felt he couldn't be happier.

As soon as he got home, Tails went straight to his workshop and didn't emerge until the next day. With a triumphant smile on his face, he proudly proclaimed, "It is finished!" Going inside, Tails quickly burned the CD for Cream. Then he went back into him workshop to put his new power source on the Tornado. This done, he got in; holding Cream's CD and took off.

20 minutes later, Tails arrived at Cream's house. Walking up the path, he suddenly got very nervous. He considered turning around and going back home, but he reasoned that Cream has probably already seen him by that point and it would seem kind of weird for him to walk half-way up the path to her house, and then turn around and go home, so he walked the rest of the way up the path and knocked on the door. Cream answered.

"Oh, hey, Tails!" She said.

"Hey, Cream…" Tails replied, "I brought the CD for you." He held out the CD to Cream.

"Oh, great! Thanks." Cream smiled and took the CD. An awkward silence ensued. "You…wanna come in?" She said at length.

"Sure, why not? It's not like I've got anything else to do," Tails said. They both laughed.

"Well, come on in, then." Cream ushered Tails in with a wave of her hand. "Um, that's the TV over there," she pointed to a large, flat-screen TV, "my computer's over there," she pointed to a brand-new computer, "there's the kitchen," she pointed to a kitchen, "and I think that's about all you'd be interested in. Well, there's a couch in front of the TV, but I figured you noticed that."

"I did, in fact," Tails said.

"That's good. I might have to worry if you hadn't," Cream said.

"I think I would, too…" Tails replied. They both laughed.

"Well, you're here, I've shown you around, now what?"

"Well… We could listen to the CD I burned for you…" Tails offered. "Where's your stereo?"

"Oh, I don't have one out here…" Cream said. "I just use my computer."

"I see…" Said Tails, "I usually do too, unless I'm in the garage working on something. Which raises the question: Why do I need a brand-new stereo? Well, I'll tell you. I'm in the garage a lot." Cream laughed.

"I have a stereo in my room, but you don't wanna go in there."

"Why not?" Tails asked.

"It's really messy."

"Did you see my garage the other day?" Tails put emphasis on the word "see".

"Well, yeah, I did, but my rooms even messier." Cream laughed.

"My room's about ten times messier then my garage was," Tails said, "So I don't think it can be much worse then mine…"

"Well, no, probably not, but still, it's not worth going in there just to see my stereo…"

"Okay, whatever you say, Cream…"

"Now you're catching on," said Cream.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny." Tails said sarcastically.

"Well, now we still have nothing to do and you're getting sarcastic. We gotta think of something fast!"

"Hey, I'm sarcastic all the time. It's like a second language to me…or something like that. Is sarcasm a language?"

"I…don't think so…"

"Well, it is now!"

"Okay." Cream laughed.

"Well, that was fun, but we still have nothing to do…"

"Indeed… Wanna watch some TV or something?"

"Nah, it's usually just news and stupid stuff like that…"

"That's true, but this is an HDTV! It's very shiny."

"Shiny is good… Okay, why not?"

"Yay. Okay, so… just gotta find the remote… I know it's around here somewhere… No, that's the DVD remote… So, that's where my stereo's remote went! Ah, here it is."

"Good job, Cream." Said Tails. "I'm proud of you."

"You should be, it's harder then it looks to find stuff in here."

"Mhmm… Well, you start that up, I think I'll just sit down."

"Watch out for Cheese. He sleeps on there sometimes."

"Will do." Tails carefully sat down, careful not to sit on Cheese who was, as Cream said, sleeping on the middle cushion. Tails smiled down at him. "He's so cute when he's asleep."

"Don't I know it," Cream replied. "He sleeps all the time… Should I be worried?"

"Nah, my Chao sleep all the time. I think it's normal."

"Oh, okay, then. You are the genius in the room."

"Psh, genius nothing. I'm an inventor!" Tails and Cream both laughed.

"They're pretty much the same thing, you know. Well, normally you gotta be a genius if you're gonna invent stuff…"

"So true… So true…" Tails was then distracted by the shiny-ness of Cream's TV. "It really is shiny!"

"Told you!" Said Cream, who sat down on the other side of Cheese.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the super huge long time this took to post! I think it's my longest case of writer's block yet, and that's not a good thing. Well, it's up now, and that's really all that matters. I'm going to start work on Chapter 7 as soon as this is posted. I'm not even joking. Hopefully my inherent procrastination will be defeated by my sheer love of writing and my other sheer love of this story! Once again, please tell me if it can be improved in any way. Thanks for reading and please review! - (Wow, I just realized I say the next chapter will come sooner after, like, every chapter! Well, this time I mean it!)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Several hours of channel surfing passed. Neither Cream nor Tails really cared what they watched. They were content to sit in front of Cream's shiny TV and stare at the amazing colour and picture quality. Cheese awoke several times, startled by some random outburst of laughter more often then not, but Cream always managed to get him back to sleep quickly.

"Man, you and Cheese really have a bond…" Said Tails after Cream managed to get Cheese to sleep for about the sixth or seventh time. "How'd you manage it?"

"Well, I've had him for a couple years now and he goes everywhere with me, so I guess it just kinda happened." Said Cream. "I was there when he hatched, and I've been caring for him since Day One."

"That's really cool… I don't see my Chao very often anymore, but they're in the Garden, so I don't really worry about them that much…"

"Well, you should still go and see them every once in a while at least. You'll never get a Chao like Cheese if you don't."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that… Well, I really only have one Chao at this point… The others I used to have ended up liking some of my friends better, so I gave them to them. The only one I have left is Chai."

"Like the tea?" Cream interrupted.

"Yeah, I guess… Like the tea. Well, anyway, I haven't seen him for a while… I wonder how he's doing…"

"We could go see him, if you wanted." Cream offered.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"No! Not at all! I'd love to meet your Chao. Maybe I could give you some tips on how to raise him better."

"That'd be great. When do you wanna go?"

"What about right now?"

"That'd be cool, I guess… But… That would mean leaving your TV, and it's sooo shiiiny!"

"It'll be here when we get back." Cream said.

"True. Okay, let's go."

"Okay, just lemme get Cheese ready." Cream gently picked up the sleeping Chao. "Cheese," she whispered, "we're going. Wake up." Cheese opened his eyes slightly and smiled up at Cream. She smiled back at him. "Let's get ready. We're going to meet someone, 'kay? You might like him. Him?" She asked Tails. He nodded. "Okay." Cream grabbed a bowtie for Cheese and put it around his neck. This done, she declared him ready. "Let's go," she said.

"Wow, that was fast," Tails said.

"Cheese is pretty low-maintenance," Cream replied, "All I really have to do is feed him and make sure he's happy."

"Well, is that hard?" Tails asked. "Making sure he's happy, I mean."

"Not really, feeding him and making sure he's happy pretty much go hand-in-hand, if you know what I mean…"

"Oh, I see." Said Tails. Cream smiled and picked up Cheese.

"Okay, let's go." She said. Tails led the way outside to the Tornado.

"Oh, did I tell you I finished my alternate power source?" Tails said as he approached the Tornado.

"No." Said Cream. "That's great! You finished it?"

"Yeah, last night, after I got home."

"Okay, so you've tested it out and stuff?"

"Of course, besides, I wouldn't take you anywhere in anything that wasn't completely safe."

"That's good to know." Cream smiled and got in the back seat of the Tornado. Tails got in the front and took off.

The flight to the garden was uneventful. Tails and Cream talked a bit, but that was about it.

When they arrived at the garden, Tails led Cream to where his Chao was.

"Cream, this is Chai…" Said Tails as they approached his Chao.

Cream gasped. Where she had been expecting a normal, blue Chao, she saw what she first thought to be some kind of dragon. Closer inspection, though, proved it to be a Chao. He was almost pure white, with a blue halo hanging above his head. He had wings like a dragon, legs and arms like a dragon, even horns.

Tails stood by during all this, smiling to himself at Cream's reaction.

"Tails…"Cream said at length, "How did you do it…?"

"I'm not really sure… I just spent lots of time with him and one day he was all white. Someone suggested that I give him some animals to play with one day, and I gave him a bunch of dragons. You can see the result." Tails smiled.

"You should take him home!" Cream said.

"What? I couldn't do that… He's happy in the Garden…"

"But just look how happy he is to see you! He obviously loves you, so why not take him home? That's what I did with Cheese." Cheese smiled at the mention of his name.

Tails bent down to be on Chai's level. "Hey, buddy. Long time, no see, huh?" Tails laughed a bit, "Anyway, how would you like to come home and live with me? That way, you could be with me all the time, and play with Cheese, that's Cream's Chao; he's right over there, any time you want. Would you like that?"

For an answer, Chai flew up and landed on Tails' shoulder. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Tails laughed.

Cheese flew over to where Chai was perched on Tails' shoulder and waved and gave him a smile. Chai replied in kind.

"Looks like they like each other." Cream said.

"Yeah, really." Said Tails, "That's good… Anyway, we should probably head home now that I've got Chai." Cream agreed and they walked back to the Tornado.

"You know," said Tails, "This past week could be one of the best weeks of my life…"

"How so?" asked Cream.

"Well, where to start? Um, I finished my power source, for one, I actually asked you out, and now I've got Chai. What more could you ask for?"

"Yeah, you're right." Cream smiled and Tails smiled back. Tails extended his hand to Cream and she took it. Thus they walked, hand in hand, back to the Tornado.

To Be Continued…

[Author's Note: Well, it was finished in record time, I just never uploaded it. BUT! I have good excuses. A) I forgot. B) I thought I already uploaded it. C) I was on vacation. D) I got a new computer recently and haven't had access to my files for a while. E) All of the above. Take your pick. p Anyway, I'm not entirely sure what I'm gonna do about Chapter 8, but I'm planning on making this fic about 10 chapters long, so I should be winding down soon. Keep your eyes open! Well, no, I mean, you can blink and stuff... It probably won't be up for a while, anyway, so sleep should be safe, too. JUST DON'T MISS IT!)


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